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Can you help Oscar, the otter and his friend Valerie restore and bring back to life an estuary?
Are you willing to take the challenge? We trust you will and will want to take on this amazing adventure. Come back at the end of the year to play the game and demonstrate how much you truly know about estuaries!
About the Game - Background Information for Educators
"Today’s students are different than students were 15 years ago. They learn differently and they live in media-saturated lives."
NOAA/NERRS is embarking on a groundbreaking new educational technology initiative to provide an interactive learning experience for students and an in-depth storyline and endearing characters that students will identify with and remember even after they have finished playing the game. Web-based activities will create opportunities for every learner to know and experience the important work that NOAA does, develop a personal responsibility for caring for the environment and emphasize the importance of good stewardship for our oceans and coasts.
An interactive story based on estuarine environment will introduce what the estuary, its diverse ecosystems, tidal influences, restoration efforts, marine debris, and emphasize personal responsibility and care for environment.
There will be three educational gaming challenges:
 Removal of water blockages to improve water flow and quality.
Restoration efforts by planting different vegetation for the different tidal zones, tidal influence and the return of habitat and food chain
Fighting trash, debris and pollutant spills, recognizing different types of trash, proper trash disposal and recycling, the value of environment related issues
A Field Guide will accompany the game. The guide will contain educational information that will assist the user with the story/games and will provide links to NOAA’s existing educational resources and in-depth information about all topics.
Special thanks go to The Computer and Simulation Program at Montgomery Community College who have provided young, gaming talent to develop interactivity, virtual environments, and simulations for the game. Their capabilities have been guided by the extremely talented Peg Steffen, Marina Kraus and Bruce Moravich from NOAA's National Ocean Service. Thank you very much for all your work on this project!
Last Updated on: 07-08-2008
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